Objective

The objective of FarFish is to improve knowledge on and management of EU fisheries outside Europe, while contributing to sustainability and long term profitability. 21% of EU catches originate from non-EU waters. These fisheries are often poorly regulated, management decisions are sometimes based on limited knowledge and enforcement capabilities, compliance and trust between stakeholders tend to lack.

FarFish will address these shortcomings in a multidisciplinary and innovative way by focusing on six diverse case studies, four in Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) waters and two in international waters. Firstly, FarFish will analyse biological, ecological, technological, economic, political and social impacts of EU fisheries in the case studies to advance knowledge and promote sustainable and profitable exploitation. Secondly, introduce Results-Based Management approaches and new decision support tools into these fisheries and test their applicability in collaboration with stakeholders. Thirdly, build capacities in fisheries management and related disciplines amongst stakeholders. The results of FarFish will both have immediate and long-term application. FarFish includes a diverse groups of stakeholders, EU and third country fleets representatives, scientists, decision makers, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), relevant industries and stakeholders from areas outside the case studies but of importance for the EU fleet, forming a platform for future cooperation between EU and third countries.

FarFish addresses the work programme by improving knowledge within the relevant fisheries, developing management tools and models, improving professional skills and sharing new findings in correspondence to the priorities of SFPAs, RFMOs and the CFP. FarFish will contribute to sustainable management, resilience and efficiency in the seafood value chains, increase European food security, boost long-term profitability and promote jobs.

Field of Science

/social sciences/economics and business/economics/sustainable economy

/agricultural sciences/agriculture, forestry, and fisheries/fisheries

/agricultural sciences/agriculture, forestry, and fisheries

/engineering and technology/other engineering and technologies/food and beverages/food safety

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FarFish (Responsive Results-Based Management and capacity building for EU Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement- and international waters)

Total annual catches of the EU fishing fleet have been around five million tonnes in recent years, of which roughly 21% come from non-EU waters. Approximately 13% are taken from international waters and 8% from within waters of countries that have signed bilateral agreements with the EU, granting EU vessels access and restricted fishing rights. These agreements are of two types, i.e. northern agreements and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs). The northern agreements are with countries in the Northern Atlantic that have shared stocks with the EU, but the SFPAs are with non-EU countries that are not fully utilising their fisheries resources and have consequently agreed to allow EU vessels to fish surplus of the total allowable catch (TAC). The SFPAs are intended to enhance fisheries governance for sustainable exploitation within the relevant waters and contribute to stable fish supply and development in the fisheries sector. The agreements include financial support which aims to promote sustainable fisheries development in the partner countries by strengthening their administrative and scientific capacity.Many of the countries that have signed SFPAs with the EU lack the infrastructure and know-how to sufficiently manage and utilise their marine resources. Biological knowledge, control and monitoring of the fisheries are weak, which is also often an issue in international waters. The management measures in these fisheries are often based on limited science, and management decisions are made in the context of limited enforcement capabilities. Understanding of the biology and ecology of target and by-catch species in these areas are incomplete, and appropriate stock assessment and management tools need to be further developed and implemented to provide a more solid knowledge base and advice on fisheries management. Increased accountability and transparency are needed to improved compliance.The role and responsibilities of the EU fleet are significant in ensuring sustainable utilisation of the resources to which they have access, whether that is under SFPAs or in international waters. The overall goal of FarFish is to provide knowledge, tools and methods to support responsible, sustainable and profitable EU fisheries outside European waters. To achieve this, FarFish will develop practical, achievable and cost-effective fisheries management tools and advice which can be applied immediately. The work will be done in collaboration of scientists, policy makers, resource users and other stakeholders aimed to improve fisheries management competences. FarFish will provide a better knowledge base of these fisheries and encourage resource users to actively take part in the management.

Six case studies (CSs) have been selected for FarFish to represent EU fisheries within the high seas and SFPAs. These six FarFish CSs a good cross-section of EU fisheries in these waters. These are the high seas fisheries in the SW-Atlantic (FAO major fishing area 41) and SE-Atlantic (FAO major fishing area 47); and the SFPA fisheries in Cape Verde, Senegal, Mauritania and Seychelles.

During the 1st project period, the FarFish consortium began work on a total of 33 tasks, and has completed 21 deliverables and 5 milestones.

The main focus of WP1 “Stakeholder interaction” is on involving stakeholders in creating solutions for the policy context in the six FarFish CSs. Examples of such stakeholders are EU and non-EU fishing fleet and fisheries authority representatives, RFMOs, international organisations, NGOs etc. The WP is instrumental for achieving specific objectives of the project e.g. for development of Management Recommendations (MRs) and Decision Support Tools (DSTs).The overall objectives of WP2 are to advance knowledge and collate data related to biological characteristics of the main fish stocks in the selected fisheries, and to evaluate the appropriateness, relevance and applicability of stock assessment models currently in use for these fisheries. Main results achieved so far is production of the “Case study characterization” which is an initial description of the FarFish CSs. Considerable amount of data has been collected and analysed within the WP and current stock assessment models and procedures within the CSs have been assessed on the basis of their appropriateness; which was followed by suggesting alternative approaches. Opportunities for applying “self-sampling” by the EU fishing fleet in the respective CSs have also been explored.The overall objectives of WP3 are to map and analyse the six FarFish value chains, and the current legal and contractual practices and constraints in these fisheries, and to produce policy recommendations. WP3 does as well represent the Authority within the Results-Based Management (RBM) framework in FarFish. In this context the Authority is an organizational entity entrusted for overall management of a fishery e.g. ministry of fisheries in coastal states, EU commission, DG Mare etc. Results achieved so far include a value chain analysis, evaluation of governance structures, provision of general guidelines for making MRs and MR invitations to each CS.The overall objective of WP4 is to develop flexible, dynamic and ready-to-use MRs in close collaboration with stakeholders based on RBM principles for the selected fisheries. This is to be achieved by developing MRs for each of the selected CS following the general guidelines provided by WP3. This work is ongoing, but main results achieved so far include publication of detailed CS overview report, report on identified alternative management scenarios and report on the MR kick-off meeting where key stakeholders from the FarFish CSs came together to agree on prioritisation in each CS. The objectives of WP5 are to evaluate the relevance, applicability, sustainability, costs, benefits and compliance with overall goals for the MRs developed by WP4, and to provide feedback on feasibility and a roadmap for potential implementation. Little progress has been made in this WP, as it is to evaluate MRs developed in WP4 that are not expected to be available until February 2019.The objective of WP6 is to develop general fisheries management- and other decision support tools to support the FarFish CSs in developing MRs. Main results so far include development of prototype FarFish DataBase (FFDB), and production of visualisation materials and DSTs to support development of MRs in the CSs. For the duration of the project the FFDB is primarily intended for internal use, but alternatives for ensuring that it lives on beyond the project will be explored within FarFish.The focus of the WP7 is on building capacities, professional skills and competences of stakeholders within the CSs and beyond within the field of fisheries management, as well as disseminating the project itself. Main results so far include broad scope dissemination of the project which has resulted in high interests all around the world; development of a special university-level certificate program being set-up that will be launched in mid-2019, a six-mo

Deliverables

Case study characterization documents will be generated for all case studies. They will include an initial description of geographical and biological boundaries, fisheries activity and production in the area, explaining existing management procedures and overall objectives, description of main relevant authorities, operators and other stakeholders, it will also contain links to most relevant literature and data. These case study characterizations will be made presentable to a wider audience and presented at the kick-off meeting. The CS characterizations will also be made available on the project web page and updated as the project progresses.

Following the draft general guidelines the authorities in each case study will invite operators to develop MPs. The authorities will first start dialogues with the operators explaining the RFMS concept and the framework they will need to follow. The authorities will then send the operators formal invitation to start developing MPs following the general guidelines.

MP0 is an overview of the current status of case studies. A common template will be developed to gather required information from each CS on the aspects relevant to the specification needed for the MP invitation and development of a MP though the RFMS process. There are two parts to this MP0: a) Detailing the current state of affairs and the main problems faced and b) Potential for improvements using new or existing approaches/tools.

The dissemination and exploitation plan (DEP) will contain detailed exploitation and dissemination strategies, clearly defining how research results will be implemented and what will be the impact on stakeholders, future developments and policy making. The plan will also include a set of publication rules based on the Vancouver rules. The plan will be submitted in M6, but will then follow the evolution of the project, i.e. it will regularly be revised and updated throughout the lifetime of the project. The plan will define a clear set of actions for the entire project period, including: purpose, target group, method, vehicle, timing, indicators and success criteria.

MP kick-off meetings will be conducted in each CS with participation from authorities, operators, relevant stakeholders and the CS team. The RFMS approach will be introduced and questions like where are we? What are the options? What do we need in order to achieve OTs and thereby ensure sustainability? will be discussed. Alternative management scenario strategies will be identified and presented to stakeholders for each case. A report will be compiled afterwards drawing out main issues and conclusions.

The fleet will be asked to collect data on a number of biologically and ecologically relevant issues, including for example, temperature, depth, weather, catch composition, size and weight of catch samples, stomach content, collection of otoliths, etc. FarFish will develop templates for the self-sampling which will be tested and improved within the project and the data made available in the FarFish database.

A description of the proposed FFDB database architecture, detailing the various technologies used and data flow through the system. In particular, a specification for how partners will supply input data (e.g. website form, file upload), and what format this input data will be in will be provided.

FarFish will compile biological and ecological data for the relevant stocks in the CSs and make them, as far as possible, publicly available in a database (FFDB). The database itself will be developed in WP6, but the content on biological and ecological components will be supplied from WP2. The report will contain description of the data provided by WP2 for FFDB pilot version 1.

The project webpage www.farfish.eu will be launched at the kick-off meeting. The webpage will contain information aimed at general public and stakeholders. It will also include a closed part of the page where project partners, EAG members and RG members can access documents that are not intended for open access.

FarFish will participate in the H2020 Open Research Data Pilot. A Data Management Plan (DMP) has to be developed detailing what kind of data the project is expected to generate, whether and how it will be exploited or made accessible for verification and reuse, and how it will be curated and preserved.

Visualization materials and other tools that can assist operators and other stakeholders in developing MPs will be provided for each case study. The tools will give information
on important biological, ecological, economic and social issues that can be relevant for the MP1 development and give information on potential effects of MP1 implementation (what if? scenarios). The visualization materials and other tools that will be available for the MP1 development is likely to be “imperfect” given the timing, but will nevertheless provide important input to developing an applicable MP alternative. The tools are likely to consist mainly of static maps and charts, as well as simple GIS.